David Jonsson (born 4 September 1993) is a British actor. He began his career on the West End, winning a Black British Theatre Award for his performance in the play and breathe... (2021). He is known for his performance in the BBC Two and HBO television series Industry (2020–2022), as well as his roles in the films Rye Lane (2023), Alien: Romulus (2024), and The Long Walk (2025).

In 2022, Jonsson appeared on the Evening Standard list of Londoners to watch and was one of British GQ's Men of the Year Honourees. He was named a 2023 Bright Young Thing by Tatler and a Screen International Star of Tomorrow. In 2025, he won the BAFTA Rising Star Award and was nominated at the British Independent Film Awards in the Best Lead Performance category for his role in the film Wasteman (2025). In 2026, At San Diego Comic-Con, Jonsson was announced as the next actor to portray Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after the passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020.

Early life and education Jonsson was born in London to parents of Nigerian and Sierra Leonean descent . He grew up in Custom House, an area of the East London Docklands. His father was an IT engineer at Heathrow Airport and his mother worked for the Metropolitan Police. Jonsson is the youngest of four, with an older brother and two older sisters.

After getting in trouble at and dismissed from school, Jonsson transferred to a school in Hammersmith. He told his mother he wanted to be an actor. After completing his GCSEs, Jonsson spent two years in New York City. Upon returning to London at the age of 18, he joined the National Youth Theatre and won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting in 2016.

Career Upon graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Jonsson was cast in his professional stage debut as William Davison in the play Mary Stuart at the Almeida Theatre. The production transferred to Duke of York's Theatre in early 2017, marking Jonsson's West End debut. That same year, he appeared on the West End again, this time in Don Juan in Soho alongside David Tennant at Wyndham's Theatre.

In 2018, Jonsson made his television debut in two episodes of the ITV detective drama Endeavour. He wrote, directed, and starred in a short film titled Gen Y. The following year, he played the recurring character Isaac Turner in the second series of the Fox UK espionage thriller Deep State.

Jonsson starred as Augustus "Gus" Sackey in the first two series of the BBC Two and HBO investment banking drama Industry from 2020 to 2022. To prepare for the role, he visited the character's alma maters Eton College and University of Oxford to familiarise himself with such a different background from his own.

In 2021, Jonsson won an award at the Black British Theatre Awards for his performance in and breathe... at the Almeida Theatre, and presented the Jean-Michel Basquiat episode of Great Lives for BBC Radio 4.

Jonsson made his feature film debut opposite Vivian Oparah in the romantic comedy Rye Lane, which opened at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. He also played the lead character Luke Fitzwilliam in the BBC's 2023 adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder Is Easy.

In 2023, Jonsson was cast in Alien: Romulus as the synthetic Andy, which released in 2024, that led to him winning the 2025 BAFTA Rising Star Award. He is expected to return as Andy in the sequel. Later in 2024 he was cast as Pete McVries in The Long Walk, which released in 2025 to positive reviews, with specific praise for his performance. Jonsson was also praised for his role in the film Wasteman (2025), where he was nominated for Best Lead Performance at the 2025 British Independent Film Awards.

Jonsson is developing his first television script Hype with Clerkenwell Films. In addition, he has roles in the upcoming films Benn/Eubank and Scandalous!.

In 2026, It was announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Jonsson will portray T'Challa II / Toussaint / Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther III, scheduled to be released on 15 December 2028.

Filmography +KeyDenotes titles that have not yet been released

Film Year Title Role Notes 2018 Gen Y TroyShort film2023 Pray Christopher Rye Lane Dom 2024 Meat Puppet Oz Short film Alien: Romulus Andy Carradine Bonhoeffer Frank Fisher2025 James Hyde - The Very Thought of You Warrant Officer James Hyde Short film The Long Walk Peter "Pete" McVries Wasteman Taylor Also executive producer 2027 data-sort-value="Chaperones, The" Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 2018 Endeavour Cromwell Ames Episodes: "Quartet" and "Icarus" 2019 Deep State Isaac Turner Recurring role; series 2 2020–2022 Industry Augustus "Gus" Sackey Main role 2023 Murder Is Easy Luke Fitzwilliam Miniseries 2024 The Road Trip Marcus Main role 2025 Too Much Oriel Terrabianco Episode: "One Wedding and a Sex Pest"

Audio drama Year Title Voice role Notes 2017 UNIT: The New Series Cpl. James Morley Episode: "Invocation"

Stage credits Year Title Role VenueNotes 2016–2017 Mary Stuart William Davison Almeida Theatre, London Duke of York's Theatre, London 2017 Don Juan in Soho Col Wyndham's Theatre, London 2020 “Daddy”: A Melodrama FranklinAlmeida Theatre, London Rehearsals only 2021 and breathe... Junior

Awards and nominations Award Year Category Work Result Astra Film Awards 2026 Best Supporting Actor – Drama The Long Walk Austin Film Critics Association 2025 Best Supporting Actor British Academy Film Award2025 Rising Star AwardAlien: Romulus Black British Theatre Award 2022 Best Male Actor in a Play and breathe... British Independent Film Award 2023 Best Joint Lead Performance Rye Lane 2025 Best Lead Performance Wasteman https://www.bifa.film/awards/2025/winners-nominations/Critics' Choice Super Awards2025Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy MovieAlien: Romulus2026Best Actor in a Horror MovieThe Long Walk Film Independent Spirit Awards 2026 Robert Altman Award Florida Film Critics Circle 2025 Best Supporting Actor London Film Critics Circle 2026 British/Irish Performer of the Year Saturn Awards 2025 Best Supporting Actor Alien: Romulus Seattle Film Critics Society 2025 Best Actor in a Supporting Role The Long Walk

References

External links

David Jonsson at Spotlight